Encouraging safe, eco-friendly tourism that protects the natural habitat, as well as brings international attention, to the endangered leatherback turtle is among the focuses of several environmental organizations in the dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago.

Every March through September as many as 12,000 beautiful, massive, 800 pound leatherback turtles amble from the pounding surf in which they have traveled for thousands of miles, to the shores in Grand Riviere Beach in Trinidad to lay their eggs on the very beaches where they hatched. In the process, these creatures offer visitors an unprecedented opportunity to witness this extraordinary life-cycle process up-close and personal.

According to the Hon. Stephen Cadiz, Minister of Tourism, “Each year, Trinidad and Tobago welcomes visitors from all over the world who are interested in seeing the turtles in their natural habitat as well as the opportunity to aid researchers who are tirelessly working to record data about the turtle population. It is vitally important to the world eco-system and our own tourism that, worldwide, everything is done to protect the endangered turtles.”